Sworn To Defiance (20 page)

Ciardis thought about it seriously for a second. She had to. Her last few dresses had been stabbed, slashed, burned, and bloodied and that was just run-of-the-mill activities.

“I believe so,” Ciardis finally conceded.

“Very well,” said Melina Higginbottom. “I believe we are of accordance if the prince heir will sign his agreement to cover sixty-six percent of the cost, the guild will cover thirty percent, and Lady Weathervane will cover the four percent of the wedding costs that are associated with the dress.”

Ciardis did some quick calculations in her head and blanched. If the dress cost four thousand shillings, the wedding would cost close to one hundred thousand. “One hundred thousand shillings?” she squeaked. “What could possibly cost that much?”

Melina blinked. “Well, for one, there hasn’t been a wedding in the capital for over twenty years. It will be a cause to celebrate. But to answer your question, food for the entire city of at least forty thousand people, attire for the entire wedding party of at least two hundred individuals, security, decorative arrangements, the emperor’s proclamation announcement which will send by amplifiers across the land, the—”

Ciardis hurried to interrupt. “I think I understand. Thank you.”

“You look shocked, my dear,” said Marcus.

Numbly, Ciardis said, “I just didn’t think it would be big deal.”

He raised his bushy eyebrows. “Imperial weddings are always a big deal. You weren’t alive for the last one, so you can be forgiven your lack of excitement. Just know that your wedding will be the talk of the city for weeks to come, the actual festivities will last for days, and people all across the land will welcome their beautiful new princess heir.” 

“Member of the Companions’ Guild,” finished Melina proudly.

The scribe finished and personally bore the new financial agreement over to the table. Ciardis signed, Melina signed, Sebastian signed, and they watched as the ink dried.

Farvis stood and raised a glass. “To the new princess and prince heir!”

“Hear, hear!” intoned all twelve Companions’ Guild members before them while tossing back glasses of what looked like grape wine. Then as one they all threw their glasses over their shoulders. Glass shattered and red wine flew everywhere, but the happy grins and shouts of joy from the Companions’ Guild members told Ciardis this was just what was supposed to happen, this was right where she belonged, and all was right with the world.

Half an hour later Vana stood with a signal for Sebastian and Ciardis to do so as well. As they did all of those around the table staggered from their chairs.

“On behalf of Lady Lillian Weathervane, formerly known as Serena, I thank you for hosting these negotiations in our guild hall,” Vana said.

Melina raised gracious hands. “We were happy to have such a joyous occasion. It’s not every day that we welcome a full member, companion, and future imperial family member into our fold.”

Vana nodded. Sebastian and Ciardis extracted themselves with gracious murmurs.

Before they turned to walk out the door, Melina pulled Ciardis aside. “I had heard you are going to face the nobles’ court this evening.”

Ciardis nodded politely, her mouth dry. “We are. Not just to inform them formally of our upcoming wedding, but also to gain their support in a forthcoming fight.”

Melina said, “Your war against
bluttgott
?”

“You know about him?”

“My people are shamans. They have visions of the future and they have seen this god.”

Ciardis sucked in a breath. “What else did they see?”

“Nothing that can help you in Sandrin.”

“What do you mean? If there’s something you know, you
must
aid us.”

“I must do nothing,” Melina said haughtily, “but for the sake of my people I will tell you this. The secret to defeating the
blutgott
is in Kifar. You must journey on the western path. I will send a guide for you and find it in the ancient city of the dragons or all is lost.”

“Find what?” Ciardis said, frustrated.

“I don’t know,” Melina said dully. “The visions are powerful but not always clear. The guide has seen that there is a special person bearing an object of old importance. But I don’t know much more. You will know when you get there.”

As she backed away, Ciardis reached out hastily and grabbed a fistful of rope. “Wait. Does that you mean you support our cause?”

“I personally do,” said Melina ruefully. “But not all people are as open to believing my peoples visions as others are.”

Ciardis pressed her mouth into a thin line. “Then all is lost if we cannot get the Companions’ Guild and the membership on our side.”

“All is not lost,” said Melina flatly. “They may be imbeciles, but I will knock some sense into them. Before the week is out you will have three thousand companions and companion trainees advocating on behalf of your cause.”

“Three thousand?” said Ciardis faintly.

“Yes, is that enough?”

“More than enough,” Ciardis said while looking down at Melina. This was the first hint of good news Ciardis had heard all day. They didn’t have an army but their certainly were about to. The companions would advocate to their patrons and Ciardis got the feeling that a good many would join the front lines themselves. After all, what was advocacy if you were threatened with annihilation?

“Thank you,” said Ciardis with a curtsey.

“Don’t thank me,” said Melina, “just get to Kifar as soon as you can. The success of our cause depends on it.”

Ciardis nodded, wondering how she was supposed to be able to travel halfway across the empire, leave behind her imprisoned mother, drop wedding plans, and leave an imposter emperor on the throne.

“Sounds like my life just got a tad more complicated,” she said to herself as she linked her arms with Sebastian and they began to walk back out of the castle.

“What was that about?” Sebastian asked quietly with Vana and Thanar walking behind them for the moment, giving them some time alone.

Ciardis looked over at him. “Kifar. It always seems to come back to the city of Kifar.”

B
y the time they left the Companions’ Guild courtyard in a carriage that could accommodate all of them, it was approaching three o’clock in the afternoon. They had precisely twenty-five minutes before the nobles’ meeting convened.

Ciardis looked out on the busy streets. With the traffic the way it was, it looked like they would arrive in just the nick of time.

Ciardis sighed and leaned back into the soft cushions of the back rest. Sebastian sat across from her, Vana sat next to him and Thanar loitered in a corner with his wings spread and his feet up. When asked why he was taking up one third of the carriage, he had conveniently used the excuse that his wings needed space. So Ciardis just scrunched into her end without a further comment.

Vana’s sharp tone cut through the silence like a knife. “What did she want? That woman is trouble.”

Ciardis looked over at Vana curiously. She knew who Vana was talking about, but the woman had seemed anything but trouble. Crafty and serene but not troubling. “Why would you think that?

“Trust me,” Vana said flatly, “it was a fight to death for her to become Head Pro Tempore of the guild. She has had her finger in every piece of our imperial pie since she was born in the guild hall sauna room.” 

“Another companion’s early-born daughter?” Sebastian asked softly.

“A serving girl’s bastard that she tried to hide, which made her hemorrhage on the sauna floor,” Vana said without a touch of sympathy. “The girl lived but caught an infection soon after. The child was raised by the guild.”

“That’s horrible!” said Ciardis.

“Raising an orphan or the premature death of the mother?” said Vana dryly.

“The latter!”

Vana shrugged. “From what I heard the mother was an idiot. And from the moment Melina could talk all she wanted to do was join the guild. Once she got her membership she caused more mayhem than you did and that’s saying something.”

Sebastian choked off a laughing cough. Ciardis turned her glare on him.

“What happened to her?” Thanar asked lazily.

“The guild didn’t want to get rid of her. So they arranged a patronage with an entire community figuring she’d quit after a year was up but she stayed. Apparently the high plains of the west grew on her. Something about being one with nature. Not that it stopped her from being an interfering busybody. Now, moving on...”

Vana turned to Ciardis and pinned her with a glare. “What did she say to you? We don’t have much time.”

Sebastian leaned forward on his knees with an interested look. Even Thanar turned his lazy gaze to peer at her face.

Finally Ciardis said, “She said the key to defeating the
blutgott
was in Kifar and a member of her tribe knows where.”

Vana blinked and said seriously. “And how in the hell would she know that?”

Sebastian sat back with his arms crossed displeased. “Or even about the
blutgott
. We didn’t bring it up.”

“Even though we meant to,” Ciardis said.

“Yes, but as you saw we had a lot on our plate already. So how did she know?”

Ciardis shrugged. “She mentioned visions. That her people saw it coming. That she wanted to help.”

“Now we’re getting somewhere,” said Thanar softly.

She ignored him. He wouldn’t want to help anyway. In fact he might even try to sabotage their efforts.

Vana reached out with a swift foot and kicked Thanar square in the thigh.

He turned angry carnelian eyes on her.

She snarled right back. “Enough of your bullshit. You serve this god, we know that.” Ciardis’s ears perked up; it was if Vana had read her mind.

“But,” said Vana, “you also want to stay alive. The
blutgott
can’t bring you back from the dead when you perish after a certain someone dies on the front lines.”

Thanar sat up, attentive now. “What would you know about that?”

His voice was soft and dangerous.

Vana gave him a smile that was just as deadly as his voice. A promise of violence was on her lips. The entire temperature inside the carriage dropped five degrees while Ciardis wondered nervously if the assassin mage and daemoni prince were going to have it out in the confines of a twelve-foot box.

“Let it go,” cautioned Sebastian with an upraised hand. “Whatever this is—just let it go.”

Ciardis swallowed nervously because they were talking about her. Sebastian just didn’t know yet. Hell, she’d just found out about the
seeleverbindung
connection between herself and Thanar a few hours ago. There was no time to tell Sebastian and no way in hell she was going to do it today anyway. Too much rode on them being united for her to jeopardize their relationship with a revelation. It’s not that she didn’t trust Sebastian, but she was well aware he could be a temperamental idiot when the feeling suited him.

Vana spoke as if Sebastian and Ciardis weren’t even there. Her voice was cold like ice. “I know quite enough. My title is Cloudbreaker for a reason. I can see through fabrications to the true core of the problem.
You
Thanar are the problem.”

This did not sound good. Ciardis opened her mouth to speak and Vana cut her eyes to her sharply enough that it froze her in mid-movement. She shrank back. Let the crazy assassin and daemoni prince work things out their way, then.

“If I am, so is my friend,” said Thanar in a dangerously lazy voice that didn’t hide the fact that he could easily spring into action and murder them all with a flick of the wrist.

Vana smiled. “But you see that’s what am I getting at. They die. You die. See your problem?”

Sebastian looked at the two occupants on the left side of the carriage as if they were insane. He looked over with alarm on his face. Ciardis shook her head mutely, saying she had no idea, when really she would give her right arm
not
to be forced to talk about it.

Thanar said, “You know I’ve never really liked you. I won’t interfere with your plans but neither will I help implement them. I will simply be a silent observer.”

“Do you promise on the souls of your forefathers?” This came from Sebastian in an eager tone.

Thanar turned lazy eyes on him and then finally said, “By the blood of my blood, I swear it is so.”

Sebastian leaned back with a weak grin and a look as if war had been averted. “Whoever this person is that you’re protecting...they must be very special to you.”

“Very,” said the daemoni prince.

Ciardis blinked away moisture in her eyes and stared hard out of the carriage window so that no one could see. She called them stress tears because she was worried about the next convening. Yes, that was it.

Behind her Vana’s voice echoed in the carriage. “Your neutrality is appreciated, but I’ll kill you the moment I find out you’ve broken your word.”

Thanar said, “If I did, I would burn in the fires of daemoni kind for eternity. A daemoni blood promise is never broken. But just so
you
know, if you step one foot out of place I will happily gut you from navel to chin.”

Ciardis shivered at the tone of his voice. To think she had been hoping they might be beginning to like each other. Or tolerate each other. Tolerance would have been nice.

She didn’t turn around until their carriage pulled into a new courtyard and she had her facial expression mastered again. They all exited the tense carriage without a further word. Besides they had less than two minutes to get inside before the session begun or they would be fashionably late and this was the kind of setting that Ciardis didn’t think took well to latecomers. Sebastian and Ciardis linked hands for their third meeting with one of the most powerful groups in the empire in the same day and walked forward. Vana paced to Ciardis’s left. Thanar to Ciardis’s right.

When they walked in, Ciardis let out a grumble. The nobles’ court was meeting in a room very similar to the one her mother’s trial had been held in. Except there was no dais. There was however a podium in the center of the room. The podium was a perfectly round platform with a magistrate’s railing surrounding it with a small entrance near the front. Radiating out from the podium were benches that were arranged in a staggered layout that rose higher and higher to the ceiling. Every seat was full, but it didn’t matter because Ciardis could tell from the expectant looks on the faces surrounding them that she and Sebastian weren’t guests. They were the main entertainment and they had finally arrived.